Apparatus for feeding pronged metal elements



1959 A. EFFGEN 2,908,007

APPARATUS FOR. FEEDING PRONGED METAL ELEMENTS Filed July 14, 1958 INVENTOR. .M ANTON EFFGEN ATTORNEYS Uni ed ???5 Pa e 0 APPARATUS FOR .FEEDING PRONGED ,METAL ELEMENTS t Anton Eifgen, Westwood, Mass, assignor to Anton Elfgen,

doing business as GlobeTool and Gauge Works, Boston, Mass.

This application is a continuation-impart of my Icopending application Serial No.' 642,438, filed February 26, 1957, for Machine for Mounting Rhinestones on Fabric The'in ven tion relates to mechanism for intercepting a series of pronged metal objects suchas gem settings or ornamental beads to be mounted on a fabric and advancing such-object's one by one 'to be secured to a fabric as desired. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for operating'thus on pronged elements which have square tops. Suchelements when arranged in consecutive order with successive tops in contact have little or no clearance between successive tops so that it is difficult to introduce a wedge between the leading element-and the one next to it. According to the invention, the delivery end portion 10f the rail on which the elements slide down from an elevated supply of elements is elevatedslightly above the portion next to it. Theleadin'g'element rides up on the elevated terminal portion of the rail so that his slightly higher than the el me t. n ine. The s l tor m which is swung across theraii to pick pfi and discharge the leadingelement while holding the other back has a cam edge which cams the leading element off the end of the rail as the part adjacent to the cam edge rides over the second element and by holding it down until the selector arm is retracted prevents the second element from advancing to the elevated discharge portion of the rail until after the leading element has been discharged therefrom. The second element thereupon becomes the leading element to be discharged by the next swing of the selector arm.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawing, of which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the delivery end of a rail having pronged metal elements thereon, together with a fragmentary sectional view of the selector arm at the beginning of a feeding stroke;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is similar to Figure 1, the selector arm being in a different position of operation;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the rail with elements thereon, and a phantom view of the selector arm overlying the rail.

In a machine for feeding gem settings or equivalent pronged metal elements from a bin or hopper to a station where they are crimped one by one onto a sheet or strip of fabric, as described and illustrated in said application Serial No. 642,438, pronged metal elements 10 slide down an inclined rail 12 by gravity, the leading elements being picked off one by one and discharged from the end of the rail to a crimping station. For this purpose an L-shaped selector member or arm 14 is pivoted at its upper end so that the lower portion 16 will move back and forth across the lower portion of the rail 12 from a retracted position as illustrated in Figure 1 to an advanced position somewhat beyond that shown in Figure 3.

The transverse portion 16 of the selector member is 2,908,007 Patented Oct. 13,

. '2 a bar which may be slightly arcuate as shown and is provided with a shallow channel 18 on its under-face. One side wall 20 of this channel is a stop member when it is across the rail 12 tobe engaged by the leading element 10 of the series on the inclined rail 12 and .to hold back the series when the arm 16 is in its'retracted position. I r

The other wall 22 of'the channel 18 is a cam which is at an angle to the rail 12 so that when the arm' 16 advances across the rail the cam 22 engagesbehind the leading element 10 and'propels itto the'discharge end of the rail. The stop surface 20 is so related to the cam 22 that when the latter propels the leading element 10, the stop retreats and finally moves clear of the rail 12. It is then necessary to hold back the rest of the elements 10 on the rail until the stop 20'resumes its place across the rail by retractive movement of the arm 16.

In prior selector members the cam edge 22 has been part of a wedge the apex of which moved in between the leading element 10 and the one next to it when-the selector arm advanced across therail. Such a wedge could not be relied'upon in picking off elements10 such as'are illustrated on the drawing. These elements have square tops and four prongs. When the elements ride on the'rail 12, the tops of successive elements abut each other closely with practically no clearance between them. According to the present invention no attempt is made to-insert a wedge between the leading element 10 and the one next to it. Instead, the rail 12 is made with an end portion 26 which is slightly elevated above the level of the adja-' cent portion 28, these two portions'beingc'onnected by-a short incline 30 whereby elements l0kcanzslide' from :the portion 28. up onto the elevated portion 226.." The :difference'of'level between theiportions .26' and 28 .of the rail 35.

will slide more freely on the rail. Thus in this case the a virtual thickness of the top of each element 10 is a little more than the stock thickness of the metal itself.

When the selector arm 16 advances across the rail, its bottom surface on either side of the channel 18 is on the level of the elevated portion 26 of the rail, as indicated in Figures 2 and 4, and is therefore spaced above the level of the adjacent portion 28 of the rail. As the arm 16 advances, the portion of its bottom face adjacent to the cam edge 22 overrides the element 10 which is next to the leading element. The next to the leading element is thus held down and prevented from riding up the slope 30 onto the elevated portion 26 of the rail while the leading element is being cammed oif the discharge end of the rail.

When the arm 16 is retracted, the bottom surface adjacent to the cam 22 moves clear of the element 10 which has now become the leading element and the latter is allowed to slide up on the elevated portion 26 of the rail, being pushed by the string of elements 10 on the rail behind it. By this time, the stop 20 has moved back across the rail to prevent more than the leading element from moving up onto the elevated portion 26 of the rail.

At either side of the rail 12 is a guard member 32 the upper surface of which is on a level with the elevated portion 26 of the rail. These guard members are spaced sufficiently from the sides of the rail to allow room for the prongs of the elements 10. Their top faces provide bearing surfaces for the arm 16 to keep it properly spaced above the adjacent portion 28 of the rail 12.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding small fasteners, said apparatus comprising an inclined rail down which a series of pronged metal elements may slide, said rail having a :pronged metal elements may slide, said rail having a short portion 'near the delivery end thereof raised slightly above the level of the adjacent portion of the rail, and a selector member extending across said rail near the delivery end thereof and reciprocable back and forth over .saidrail betweenadvanced and retracted positions, said selector member having acamportion which is to one side of saidrail when the selector member is in its retracted position and advances across the rail when the selector member moves to its advanced position, the bottom of said cam portion bearing on an increasing amount of said raised portion of the rail and overlying said adjacent portion of the rail during its advancing movement,

.said selector member also having a stop portion spaced from said cam portion and movable across said rail from a blocking position on the rail when the selector "member is retracted to a'position to one side of the rail when the selector member is 'in its advanced position.

3. Apparatus for feeding small fasteners, said apparatus comprising an inclined rail down which a series of .pronged metal elements may'slide, said rail having at its discharge end an elevated portion slightly higher than theportion adjacent thereto, the top of said rail having a short slope from said elevated portion to said adjacent portion whereby a pronged element on said adjacent portion can slide up onto said elevated portion, and selector means reciprocable across said' elevated and adjacent portrons of the rail between retracted and advanced positions, said selector means having a stop anda cam portion bearing on said elevated portion of the rail, said cam portion also overlying said-adjacent portion of the rail to hold down a pronged element thereon except when said selector means is in its retracted position, said stop being located across said elevated portion to permit only the leading pronged element on said elevated portion when theselector means-is-in its'retractedposition, said stop moving clear ofthe rail when "the selector means moves to its advanced position. j v a 4. Apparatus for feeding small fasteners, said Eapparatus comprising an inclined rail down whi'chpronged metal elements may slide, said rail having at its discharge end an elevated portion slightly 'higherthan'the' portion adjacent thereto, said portions being;connected by an incline whereby an element on said adjacent portion of the rail can slide up onto the elevated position, and a selector member reciprocable across the elevated vand adjacent portions of the rail froma retractedposition to an advanced position, said selector member having in its bottom face a channel slightly wider than one of said pronged elements, one side wallof'said channel being a stop to detain the leading pronged element on said elevated portion of the rail until. said selector member moves to its advanced position, the other wall of said channel being a cam arranged to eject the leading pronged element from said elevated position of the rail when/the selector means moves to its advanced position, saidselector means having a portion movable across said adjacent portion of the rail on a level with said elevated-portion whereby to override and hold down the pronged element on said adjacent portion until said selector means, returns to its retracted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS KEY 

